Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa
Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 5.4 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa stood at 5.4 %. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa peaked at 8.2 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.4 %, in 2024.
That places Africa 12th out of 29 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.2 % | — |
| 2001 | 8.1 % | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 7.9 % | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 7.8 % | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 7.7 % | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 7.6 % | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 7.4 % | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 7.3 % | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 7.2 % | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 7.1 % | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 6.9 % | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 6.8 % | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 6.7 % | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 6.6 % | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 6.5 % | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 6.4 % | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.3 % | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 6.2 % | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 6.1 % | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 6 % | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 5.8 % | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 5.7 % | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 5.6 % | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 5.5 % | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 5.4 % | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.63 % | 7.1 % | 8.2 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.45 % | 6 % | 6.9 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6 % | 5.4 % | 5.8 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 9 Cambodia 9.6 % compare
- 10 Burkina Faso 9.3 % compare
- 10 Sri Lanka 9.3 % compare
- 10 United Republic of Tanzania 3.1 % compare
- 11 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2.5 % compare
- 12 Indonesia 8.4 % compare
- 13 Benin 8.3 % compare
- 14 Burundi 7.8 % compare
- 14 Chad 7.8 % compare
- 14 Guinea-Bissau 7.8 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Production, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Vegetables Primary — Yield, annual growth rate -0.2987 % change on previous year (2024)
- Vegetables Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 2.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Production, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Yield, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sugar Crops Primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate 0.2698 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goats — Stocks, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered, annual growth 0.5254 % change on previous year (2024)
- Pulses, Total — Yield, annual growth rate 2.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Pulses, Total — Production, annual growth rate 2.33 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa?
- Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Africa was 5.4 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4 % in 2024.
- How does Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
- Africa ranks 12th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.